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Sociolinguistics from the Periphery "presents a fascinating book about change: shifting political, economic and cultural conditions; ephemeral, sometimes even seasonal, multilingualism; and altered imaginaries for minority and indigenous languages and their users."

_Linguistics in the Courtroom_ is, as stated in the title, a 'practicalguide' for linguists interested in applying their knowledge to the legalfield. It is aimed at both beginning and seasoned linguists who areinterested in the area of forensic linguistics. This step-by-step guidedeals with a range of issues such as establishing and operating a practice,networking for clients as well as what to expect in a deposition, givingtestimony and how to deal with cross-examination. Each section isinterwoven with examples from Shuy's own experiences and is, therefore,based mainly on the American system and practices; however, he frequentlypoints out some of the slightly different practices between those of theUnited States and those of the United Kingdom.

The book begins with Shuy defining what is currently called forensiclinguistics. He feels that this can be a misleading title and specifiesthat a forensic linguist is first and foremost a linguist. He counselsstudents who are interested in the field to first become a linguist thengain expertise in a field of linguistics such as syntax, morphology orphonetics. The next step is to learn how to work and testify as alinguistic expert rather than focusing on the title of forensiclinguistics. He stresses that forensic linguistics is an application oflinguistics and that solid foundational knowledge is more essential thanspecialization.

Chapter two and three deal with setting up a practice and doing businesswith lawyers. In these chapters, Shuy gives advice that is pertinent notonly to beginning linguists but also to those already in the field:guidance such as not accepting calls from clients themselves but only fromtheir attorneys. He also specifies that everything should be in writing andthat you should review the material before agreeing to take a case as youneed to stay within your qualifications.

The following chapter addresses working with attorneys and the constraintsthat are linked with the legal system. The main issue that Shuy attends tois that of communication and the best ways to go about it, be itface-to-face interactions, email or telephone/fax. He recommends that it isimportant to meet in person even though this may be a difficult schedulingtask. Shuy also deals with the subject of discovery -- the requirement thatall documents and other materials be turned over to the other side. Thisincludes all notes taken during conversations, drafts and final versions ofany reports. Therefore it is important to take few notes. The main problemfor a linguist expert is if the analysis changes throughout the process.These notes are still available and may be open for discovery which couldthen be used to discredit your testimony. Finally, he advises that ifopposing lawyers contact the expert, it is important to know how theattorney you are working for wants you to deal with such situations. It isimportant to always remember that anything said to the opposition can beused against you, thereby compromising the case.

The next few chapters give advice on how to write reports for legalpurposes. He covers what to expect when being deposed, during the directexamination and the cross examination. Shuy counsels that the time normallyrequired for a linguist to write reports or articles is not realistic inlegal cases. Time constraints are controlled by the courts and even thoughrepeated postponements are not infrequent, it is necessary to be preparedfor the initial date given.

Finally, chapters eleven and twelve deal with passing on your experience asan expert witness by teaching classes or writing professional articles. Itis advisable to confirm with the attorney but generally, in the USA, aftera trial is over, it becomes part of the public domain and therefore thereis no restriction on using data for educational or professional publicationpurposes. Shuy reminds the reader that anything that is published isavailable for the opposing attorneys to try to use against the expert eventhough it is seldom fruitful for them to do so.

Throughout the book, as well as in chapter ten entitled Ethical Issues,Shuy inserts comments about ethical issues which may arise. First andforemost, you need to be qualified for the issues of the specific case. Theauthor states that 'it's better to know your limits and stay within them.'Your analysis should be the same regardless of which side you are workingfor. You also need to be willing to say something is hopeless, i.e. thedata can not be analyzed or that it is in fact incriminating. Even thoughyour analysis should be the same whether you represent the prosecution orthe defense, working for both sides is not permitted. As an expert you arehired simply to analyze the evidence and present your findings.

EVALUATION

_Linguistics in the Courtroom_ is the only book of its kind. It is a usefulresource for both the seasoned linguist and the student interested in therelatively young area of linguistic application where linguisticsintersects with the law. It is a concise, short read at 145 pages and theadvice of a practiced expert is indispensable. The bibliography of notablebooks in this field is comprehensive and valuable.

Shuy addresses often delicate issues such as remuneration for hourly workas well as time for traveling and testifying. He deals with money issueswhich are not addressed elsewhere. Given the legal nature of the work feesare sometimes seen as the buying of a testimony. Shuy reminds the readerthat no other expert would be expected to work without compensation.Charging for your analysis could only be seen as allowing your testimony tobe bought if you adapted your analysis to benefit the side for whom youwere working.

The only criticism would be that although Shuy incorporates both theAmerican and British systems, there is no information about the Canadiansystem. This is understandable given that at the point the book was written(2006), this field is almost non-existent in Canada; however, it is ofgrowing interest. Taking into account Canada's combination of US and UKlegal practices and the compactness of Shuy's manual, perhaps this is notthe place for the addition of the Canadian system. This would, however, bea useful topic for a Canadian linguist to address.

This is an easy read for the beginner but is also valuable to the expert inlight of the thirty-five years of experience of the author in the field.This is an important reference in the fast growing area of applicationcalled 'forensic linguistics'.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER:
ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Claire Gurski is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Western Ontario.Her current research focuses on voice identification of bilingual speakers.More specifically, she is looking at the identification of a speaker whencomparison materials are in two languages. She is also interested inapplying the Daubert requirements for expert testimony to the area ofphonetic analysis.